Sparks to Fire
by bipolar.poet08
Summary: "Bo before hoes." "Zhu, did you just-" "Yes, Mako. Yes, I did." Zhu Beifong, firebender extraordinaire, a good badcop with a fear of heights. Mako, fulltime Captain of the Fireferrets, part time jerk with weird eyebrows.
1. Chapter 1

My name is Zhu Beifong and I'm 18 years old.

Not that my last name matters much. Nobody in Republic City knows that I am the Chief of Police, Lin Beifong's daughter. Maybe some do, I haven't the vaguest idea. It's just that I've never bothered to tell people who my mother is and mum never bothered to introduce me as her daughter.

I didn't mind that because in a way, it keeps us both safe.

You see, just like mum, I work with the Police and I've had my fair share of busting the Agni Kai and Red Monsoon and Triple Threat Triads' members. Obviously, there are many who'd be more than happy snapping my neck or burning me or impaling me with icicles. So, by keeping my family background a secret, we protect each other from our enemies.

Now, Lin Beifong is not the best mother to begin with. We've never had the ''loving mother and loving daughter" relationship. It was more like the "Boss and employee'' type-ish.

I've always felt that it was because I was firebender like my birth father, who my mother rarely mentions, and not an earthbender which caused a rift between us.

Mum gave me freedom where it was necessary and controlled my life like a tyrant when she thought I was going down the wrong road. We'd have fights that would include hours of yelling and blaming each other for the most stupid things. And the next day, we would act as if nothing were wrong. I'd always refer to her as 'Chief' and she'd call me 'Officer' or 'Darn brat'. She let me make my own decisions up until a limit. Like the time I wanted to join the United Forces but she 'pulled rank' and made me stay in Republic City.

Sometimes, I'd feel like running away when she became extremely controlling. I'd feel like not talking to her. But she is my mother and I love her and I wouldn't ask for anyone else. Because we did have our 'Mother-daughter' moments like when she would be reading her reports, sitting on the sofa, and I'd be lying down with my head on her lap, telling her about my day.

Thank the Spirits, though, that I didn't inherit her blunt and uptight attitude.

I don't mean to brag, but I am pretty fun to hang out with.

Just ask Bolin!

Oh, right. Bolin. I met him a year ago while tracking down the Triple Threats. It was a false lead because by that time, Bolin and his jerk of a brother, Mako, were training for Pro-Bending. We ended up being great friends, the three of us. They are pretty much the only people that I stay around during most of my free time. One, they are bearable and two, they're the only ones I know who are my age. Sort of.

Bolin is one of the best people I've ever known. He is the comic relief of my life and my sometimes dinner partner. Unlike his elder brother, he is more cheery and spontaneous.

Mako, to be honest, seemed like a douche to me at first. He grumbled and mumbled and threw glares at me during first few months. I, eventually, wormed my way into his heart and became his self-proclaimed best friend.

Speaking of which, I'm not much of a fan of Pro-Bending as Councilman Tenzin had drilled his words into my brain.

"That rowdy game is a mockery of the beautiful art of bending."

While I was stationed at Air Temple Island for a short while, I had mentioned to him that I had friends who were into Pro-Bending once. Once.

And there's not a day when he doesn't remind me that the game is a mockery. He won't even substitute the 'mockery'. Every time he berates the game, he uses the _same damn word_.

Sheesh.

Life wasn't that exciting, here in the city. It was the same, every day. I'd wake up with the sun, go to work, come back for lunch, patrol in the evening and on some days, chase around thugs. Life went by slowly.

It was during the arrival of Avatar Korra that things began to change.


	2. Chapter 2

"Aw, Maa! What was that for?" I cried, lying on the floor, wrapped up in blankets.

My mother's idea of a wake-up call was earthbending the bed so that it stood up, making the person sleeping on it fall flat on his face.

"Are you planning on sleeping the whole day?" She crossed her arms and stared down at me, already dressed in her uniform. She watched silently as I struggled to pull my arms out of the blanket-roll. After I succeeded, I supported myself on my forearms and looked up at her, raising my brows.

"You'll be late for work."

"Ha?" my mouth fell open, "What the- Ma, I'm using the two years' worth paid leave that I deserve. I'm on vacation. For a whole month." I wobbled as I tried to stand straight. Pushing the bed back to the way it was, I flopped down on it and buried my face in the pillow.

"I didn't sanction your-"

"Yes, you did."

"..."

"Bye, Chief. Have a nice day." And I fell asleep again.

I woke up an hour later. _An hour_. It was 6'o clock.

 _Ugh, do all firebenders have this problem or am I the only one cursed to wake up early?_ I asked myself as I groggily got up and made my way to the bathroom.

Even at 18, I was living with mum. Our home was a three bedroom flat in the Upper City side. Yes, the house was big but it was the only one available which was situated near the Police Station. I was used to being alone in the house as mum had a habit of staying at the Station for days.

I quickly brushed my teeth, showered and dressed into a red full-sleeve shirt, black close fitting pants and slipped into my flip-flops. While trying to comb my bushy, fly-away black hair, I made up my mind to pay Bolin and Mako a visit at the gym. After I almost tore my hair while trying to tame it into a ponytail, I locked up the house and made my way to the Pro-Bending Arena.

The Arena was about 20 minutes from my home.

It's almost 6:30 and the streets are bustling with people.

 _What is wrong with you, Humanity? Who wakes up this early?_

I picked up some sweet buns for breakfast on my way. I like sweet buns. Despite the name, they aren't very sweet. Just...tasty. _Aaaah~I love food_.

On reaching the Arena, I made a beeline for the attic. Nobody stopped me on my way. The guards were now used to me entering through the windows. I peeked up into the room, checking for its inhabitants. As I hoped, no one was there.

 _Psh, sucks for them. Training this early in the morning_ , I thought as I lay down on the sofa, my back perched against the armrest. I started munching on one of the sweet buns to pass time. I kept shifting downwards so that after a few moments, my head lay on the armrest.

Half an hour later, the brothers found me asleep, with my left arm dangling off the sofa and the remnants of my second sweet bun on my shirt. The paper bag containing the rest of the buns sat beside my head.

"ZHUUUU!" Bolin yelled into my ear, simultaneously grabbing my shoulder.

"I'm up." I mumbled, curling into the sofa.

"Don't make me sit on you."

"...WHAT THE FU-GET OFF. WHO IS TH- MAKO!" I screeched as Mako landed on my stomach and refused to move. Bolin was busy laughing as I tried to push his brother off of me.

"Don't you have work?" He looked at me, grinning.

I stopped pushing him, "Nah. I'm on paid leave. For a month!" I grinned back.

"Huh." He blinked, "Are you gonna spend a whole month doing nothing?" Bolin sat down on the floor, cross-legged.

"Maybe." My grin widened, "Or I could just hang around you guys. That reminds me," I turned to Bolin, "Bo, we're going out for lunch."

"Yay! Narook's Seaweed Noodlery! Love me some noodles." He threw his hands in the air, cheering.

"What about me?" Mako looked at us with his arms crossed in front of him.

"You can come if you GET. OFF. ME. SERIOUSLY, HOW DO YOU NOT LOOK FAT?" I pushed him with so much strength that his legs almost crashed into Bolin, who dodged at the last moment. I sat up straight and brushed off the bun crumbs from my shirt, "You are so damn heavy, Mako." I said as he regained his balance and shot me a look which clearly said 'No, you're just a drama queen'

I ended up spending a couple of hours with them, unintentionally sharing my food until Bolin yelled, "It's Narook time!"

"Do you ever not want to go to Narook's?" I asked as we left the Arena and made our way downtown.

"Do you ever not breathe, Zhu?" He walked ahead of us as Mako and I followed him at a leisurely pace.

"How's practise going?" I asked, watching Bolin hop and skip.

"Hasook's being a colossal pain as always." Mako hissed, "Can't even let him go. We need a waterbender."

"Wish I could help you with that, but all I have is fire." I snapped my fingers and sparks ignited above my hand.

"You and your weird bending." The dark haired boy ruffled my hair.

"Hey, it's _special_." I swatted his hand away, "And not the hair. I almost went bald trying to comb it today."

The two of us laughed as Bolin yelled at us to hurry. We entered the small restaurant and sat at our usual seats, Mako and I on one side and Bolin sitting opposite to us. The place was fairly empty as not a lot people came on workdays in the afternoon. I ordered simple soba noodles while Mako and Bolin asked for seaweed ones.

"Ugh, can't go to any of the Water Tribe places with seeing his ugly mug." I groaned, pointing at the wall behind Bolin.

"Tahno. The jerk." Bolin twisted his neck to look at the Wolfbats' posters adorning the room. "You think anyone will mind if I draw a moustache and a beard on their faces?"

"Hey, I'm with the Police and I won't mind." I grinned.

"No way, Bo." Mako shook his head, "If word gets out, it'll be big news and we'll be thrown out."

I slapped my hand on the older boy's back, "Calm your fire, Makoto. It was a joke."

"My name's Mako."

"Makoto is better"

"It's a girl's name."

" _Even better._ "

Suddenly, one of the metalbending Officers rushed inside, huffing and puffing with sweat dripping down his forehead. I stood up immediately.

"Officer Zhu! There-" He inhaled loudly, "-you are. This girl-wrecking havoc- bending -please, you have to- no one else can-"

"Lead the way." I told him and turned to the boys, "Sorry, boys. Rain check on the lunch."

"No problem, Zhu! Kick their butts!" Bolin cheered, punching his fist in the air, startling a passing waiter.

"Be careful!" Mako called out as I left with the Police officer.

 _Honestly_ , I grumbled to myself, _First day of leave and I get dragged into trouble._


	3. Chapter 3

The streets were almost in ruins. Broken shards of glass and wood littered the path. Remnants of earthbending were visible. The Police airship hovered over the buildings with its alarm ringing loudly.

"First day off duty and this happens," I grumble, following the destruction.

At the end of the street, I could see a dark skinned girl in Water tribe garb, on top of what seemed to be a polarbeardog, fighting multiple officers using-

 _Earth and water? Is she-?_

Raising my arms, I made a circular motion and snapped my fingers.

The girl and her pet were surrounded by a circle of fire which took them by surprise.

"Ma'am, I'd like you to stand down." I called, as she turned to face me.

"What, you're one of _them_ too?" She gestured towards the officers, while simultaneously extinguishing the fire.

"Evading arrest is a crime. Please accompany the police officials to the HQ." I ignored her question, scrutinizing the way she was still avoiding the metal lines.

"I haven't done anything wrong-"

I narrowed my gaze and snapped my fingers towards her. Fire shot across her, narrowly missing her neck, "That's not what the marketplace and my officers said. One last time, _stand down._ "

The girl stared at me with anger and pulled the reins of her animal, "Come on, Naga."

With one swift motion, the polarbeardog leapt over me and I quickly followed them, with the cops trailing after us.

' _I'm running in flipflops. Goddamit._ '

As she ran across a bridge, one of the cops shot his metal line at her which wrapped around her ponytail. The girl, in turn, threw her arms in a backward motion and the water from the river splashed upwards, freezing and blocking the way. The unfortunate cop slammed face first onto the wall of ice, the metal line releasing its hold on the girl.

I arched my leg, kicking upwards and creating a fire blade which cut through the ice wall.

"She'll head to the rail tracks!" I called to the cops as we continued our pursuit, "One of you lead the airship towards the port side."

I didn't have metalbending but I was a really fast runner. Following the giant creature all the way to another bridge, I jumped forward, shooting a huge ball of fire at them. The girl yelped in panic as she looked over her shoulder. She twisted her upper body and punched at the fireball, putting it out.

 _Aaand she fire bends too. Last I heard, the Avatar was at the South Pole training._

Instead of firing at the girl, I snapped my fingers at the direction of the polar bear dog's feet. The dog toppled over the side of the bridge, landing on top of a train. I followed suit.

"Stop following me!" The girl yelled at me and I laughed under my breath.

I chased her, leaping from carriage to carriage when she paused for a moment to stare at Air Temple Island.

I clicked my tongue.

 _Tenzin…what did you do?_

Suddenly, the dog darted towards one of the nearby buildings. Right before it (she? He?) touched the rooftop, I pulled my hands apart, creating a fire whip and sent it towards the animal's limbs.

 _I'm going to Hell for all the animal cruelty._

The polarbear dog toppled over and it was then that I noticed the airship over us. I jumped off the train, using fire to lightly propel me forward and landed near the girl and her pet.

The dark skinned girl stared at me helplessly, entangled in the web of metal lines that had been shot from the airship. Under her, the animal whined.

One of the officers shot the line at me, pulling me up to the airship when I grabbed it.

"Officer Song." I greeted, straightening my shirt once I was inside the airship.

The man frowned at me, "Thought you were off duty."

I sighed in response, "One of the patrol officers called for me when the fight started."

"Thank you for the help." He nodded gratefully, "Coming back to HQ?"

"Yeah," I confirmed, "Debriefing and all. Besides, it's not every day you arrest the Avatar. Chief Beifong ain't gonna be happy about this."

* * *

"Let's see," Chief Beifong, or _mom_ , stalked around the girl sitting handcuffed at the table, whose name happened to be Korra, "multiple counts of destruction of private and city property... not to mention evading arrest." At this, Korra's eye flickered towards me, as I stood straight, facing them "You're in a whole mess of trouble, young lady."

Korra winced and fumbled, "But there were some thugs threatening a helpless shop keeper and I had to..."

Chief slammed the notepad that she held onto the table, loudly, "Can it! You should have called the police and stayed out of the way." She walked to the other end of the table, emitting an aura of power, crossing her arms and facing the girl again."

"But I couldn't just sit by and do nothing." Korra explained, "It's my duty to help people." She smiled widely, "See, I'm the Avatar."

At this, I snickered. Chief shot a look at me over her shoulder and I fell silent.

"Oh, I am well aware of who you are." She shot back at the Avatar and wiggled her fingers mockingly, "And your _Avatar_ title might impress some people, but not me."

Korra stared wide eyed at the woman before gathering herself, "Alright, fine. Then I want to talk to whoever's in charge."

I snickered again before saying, "That's Chief Beifong." I made quotation marks with my fingers, "'In charge' of the Metalbending Police Force"

Chief takes a seat opposite to the girl and I shuffle closer to her, standing to her left.

"Wait, Beifong?" Korra exclaimed in surprise, "Lin Beifong? You're Toph's daughter!"

"What of it?"

"Then why are you treating me like a criminal? Avatar Aang and your mother were friends, They saved the world together."

"That's ancient history," The woman leaned forward and hissed, "and it's got diddle squat to do with the mess you're in right now. You can't just waltz in here and dole out vigilante justice like you own the place!"

A small section of the wall opened and a male cop's face appeared. We all turn towards him as he peered in.

"Chief, Councilman Tenzin is here." He informed us.

 _Great…_

Mom sighed, "Let him in."

She got up and turned her back to Korra and I copy her, with hands behind my back. The wall of the interrogation room opened and Tenzin walked in, his airbender robes swishing. He looked crossly over our shoulders, at the Avatar.

"Tenzin," The girl saod, nervously grinning, "sorry... I got a little side tracked on my way to see you."

The old man breathed deeply and then exhaled. Looking at us from the corner of the eye, he smiled at Chief.

"Lin, you are looking radiant as usual. Zhu, I see you are here as well."

"Cut the garbage, Tenzin." Chief used her 'no-nonsense' tone, "Why is the Avatar in Republic City? I thought you were supposed to be moving down to the South Pole to train her?"

"My relocation has been delayed." Tenzin replied, "The _Avatar_ , on the other hand," his gaze zeroed on Korra, "will be heading back to the South Pole immediately, where she will stay _put_."

"But-!" Korra protested but the Airbender would have none of it.

"If you would be so kind as to drop the charges against Korra," He continued as if he had never been interrupted, "I will take full responsibility for today's regrettable events, and cover all the damages."

Chief glanced back at the girl and then at Tenzin before sighing, "Fine. Get her out of my city. Officer Zhu, escort them to the port."

Korra silently whooped in joy as she got up. I stood near the wall opening, gesturing Tenzin to leave first.

"Always a pleasure, Lin." Tenzin stepped back and turned, "Let's go, Korra."

The tanned girl was in a hurry to leave. Before leaving, she turned and made a face at Chief, who made the 'I have my eyes on you' gesture. Weirdly, Korra copied the motion and left. I exchanged glances with Chief who had lifted her hand in a 'what-the-hell-does-that-mean' way.

"Go." She ordered.

I saluted and stepped out of the room before peering back at her, "What's for dinner?"

" _Go._ "

"Eep, okay!" I whined and ran out.

Tenzin and Korra were conversing in the waiting room. The young girl was flailing her arms and said something which made Tenzin go red in the face.

"Don't bring my mother into this!" He snapped.

Korra continued to talk animatedly, "Look, I can't wait any longer to finish my training. Being couped up and hidden away from the world isn't helping me become a better Avatar. I saw a lot of the city today, and it's totally out of whack. I understand now why you need to stay. Republic City does need you, but it needs me too."

"You..." The old man was unable to reply, "ugh..."

Another police officer arrived, holding the leash of the polar bear dog, enquiring if the beast belonged to the girl. After the dog as rightfully returned, I approached them.

"Councilman Tenzin," I greeted, "If you're ready, I will escort you to the port."

"Zhu!" The man smiled, "Yes. Yes, of course. Ah," He gestured towards Korra, "You already met Korra, the Avatar."

I bowed to the girl, out of respect while she crossed her arms and hmmphed at me, "Forgive me, Avatar Korra, but I had to arrest you. It is my duty as a Police Officer of Republic City to maintain the law and order to the best of my abilities."

Confusion spread across her face as she scratched Naga's ear, "Wait, aren't only metalbenders allowed to become cops? You're a firebender."

Tenzin took it upon him to explain, "Officer Zhu here has special firebending abilities. It is a variable form of Combustion bending."

Korra's blue eyes brightened up, "Cool! Can I learn it too?"

I laughed nervously, "I...think so? I don't know. I've never come across anyone else who can bend fire like me."

The three of us walked out of HQ, making our way to the seaside.

"You are out of uniform today, Zhu. Were you off duty?" Tenzin enquired kindly.

"Yes, sir." I nodded and explained, "First day of a month long holiday but got caught up in this mess."

Korra chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck, "Uh, yeah…Sorry about that."

The Airbender then said in an admiring tone, "To be such an elite officer at such a young age. It is truly commendable, Zhu."

I smiled widely at him, "So you've said, Councilman Tenzin. Thank you for your kind words."

"Wait," Korra pulled Naga's reins, leading him, "How old are you?"

"I'm eighteen." I stated, "Been working for a year."

"Whoa, you're a year older than I am." She exclaimed, matching my stride, "You gotta teach me those moves, though. Where did you learn firebending?"

"From my grandfather and my cousin." I said, "Sometimes my father taught me too but it was mostly my live in the Fire Nation Capital."

"Hmm…So you live alone in the city?"

"No, I live with my mother actually. In fact, you've al-"

I was interrupted by Tenzin who exclaimed that we had arrived at the port. The sun had begun to set. They boarded the ferry after Tenzin had thanked me. Korra waved at me, saying that it was nice to meet me and that she wanted me to teach her my fighting techniques. I laughed and waved back at her.

Soon, the ferry had sailed a fair distance and I decided to head back home. Grumbling about how I missed lunch, I made my way home. My stomach growled and exhaustion took over my body.

"Goddamit. I was on a break. What a terrible way to start my leave."


	4. Chapter 4

Two days later, I found myself at Bolin and Mako's place, ranting to Mako about how my mother treated me as a slave as he suited up for his match.

"'Do the dishes, Zhu! Mop the floors, Zhu! Get the groceries if you have so much free time instead of being a lazy pest.'" I tried imitating my mom, flailing my arms for extra emphasis, "Damn it, it's hard enough to work under her. Now, she's making me do all the household chores on a daily ba- Mako, you're not even listening!"

"Hmm…" He absentmindedly responded, fidgeting with the firebending patch on his helmet, "I'm listening…"

I crossed my arms and frowned at him from the couch, "No, you're not."

"Dishes, floors, groceries." He recited, walking up and down the room, "Will you watch the match?"

I looked at him as if he was an idiot, "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't going to. Went through all the trouble to buy a ticket without Chief knowing." I got up and obstructed his path, "Hey, calm down. Is Hasook still giving you problems?"

"He needs to do something about that attitude of his." Mako hissed, "He's gonna screw up today. I know he will."

"He's not the only one who needs to work on his attitude." I muttered under my breath before placing my hand on his shoulder, "You got this, okay? It's just the Tigerdillos. If you've made it this far, you're sure to win today."

I didn't expect him to smile and he didn't. Typical.

He picked up his padded gloves which were lying on the table and started descending the stairs without another word.

"Oi, wait for me!" I called, following him.

We start walking to the Fire Ferret's locker room, when Hasook joined in. I nodded at him in greeting. He didn't spare a glance at me.

"You sure you want to sit with the crowd and not in the locker room?" Mako suddenly asked, looking over his shoulder.

Hasook clicked his tongue.

"Na, I'm sure." I shrugged, ignoring the waterbender, "'Sides, Bo might've brought another fangirl this time. I don't want to deal with all the squealing and what not. I'll visit after the match, though. Toza will let me in."

Mako nodded, adjusting his uniform with a determined look on his face.

"Give it your best!" I grinned, bumping my shoulder with his as I walked towards the seating area, "See you after you win!"

* * *

By the time the match had ended, I had bitten my fingernails raw. My throat was sore as I had cheered loudly for Mako in the final round.

Mako was right. Hasook had almost ruined the game by tumbling on top of Bolin. The Tigerdillo earthbender had wasted no time in pushing them off the platform.

The Fire Ferrets won though.

I quickly rushed to their locker room the moment Mako had punched fire at the Tigerdillo earthbender.

"Let me through, Toza!" I yelled, shoving the old man aside, running through the hallway.

"Crazy lass." He shot back, glaring.

I threw the door open as Mako and Hasook walked back from the platform, the former chiding the latter.

"Get off my case, pal." The waterbender snapped, flinging his helmet on the seat in anger. He walked past me, harshly pushing me aside with his shoulder and stormed out the door.

Not minding the buzzkill, I yelled at Mako and Bolin, "You won!" and threw my arms around the former.

He patted me on the back and pulled away, no doubt sour from the one-sided argument he had with Hasook. I turned to the other two inhabitants in the room only to find Korra, of all the people, who had started gushing at Mako.

"Oh, you're still here?" He scoffed, walking towards the locker situated in the corner.

"Oh, you're still a jerk?" The girl shot back, crossing her arms.

"Korra?" I narrowed my eyes at her and smiled, "What're you doing here?"

"Zhu!" She exclaimed excitedly, "I came to see the match and this guy-" She nudged Bolin, "-let me in here. That reminds me," she perked up and turned back to Bolin, "I've been immersed in Bending my entire life but I never learned how to move like that. It's like there's a whole new style here. Think you could show me a few tricks?"

"Absolutely!" Bolin agreed enthusiastically and I laughed.

Mako frowned, looking over his shoulder, "Right now? Come on, Bolin."

"Let the kid be, Mako." I chuckled.

Bolin covered his mouth and whispered to Korra, "Just ignore him." He then smugly said, "Yeah, I could show you the basics. I'm just not sure how my earthbending would translate to your waterbending. But we'll figure it out."

"I don't think that'll be a problem, would it, Korra?" I titled my head towards her and she grinned at me.

"Nope. Won't be a problem." She crossed her arms over her chest, "I'm actually an Earthbender."

The earthbender blinks rapidly then blushes out of embarrassment, "I'm sorry, no, no. I didn't mean to assume. Cause I, ya know, I was just figuring, with your Water Tribe getup... that you are... a water tribe... gal."

Korra was clearly having fun watching him fumble, "No, you're right I'm a waterbender..."

"And a firebender." I added.

The curly haired boy rubbed his chin while thinking, "Mhmm. Zhu, I'm very confused right now." I chuckled at him.

"You're the Avatar," Mako realized and then lowered his head, closing his eyes, "and I'm an idiot."

Korra had a smug look on her face, "Both are true."

"Couldn't have said it any better." I walked to the firebender, patting his arm, earning a glare from him. I laughed and helped him pull off his gloves.

Bolin had a flabbergasted look on his face, "No... way." He turned to us and then whispered, pointing at Korra, "The Avatar!"

* * *

I sat on the stairs as Mako leaned on them, next to me. Bolin was showing his earthbending skills to Korra using the sand disks. Both the brothers were out of uniform.

"Nice work today, _Captain._ " I smirked at Mako, leaning back on my arms.

He looked at me from the corner of his eyes and sighed, "Almost lost."

"But ultimately won."

"How do you know _her_?" He gestured at Korra who was admiring the way Bo shot the disks into the net.

"Remember the cop who came in running into Narook's, saying that this girl was wreaking havoc? That's her."

Mako was a little surprised, "So you had her arrested?"

"Yep."

"Nice."

"Yep."

Bo commented on how Korra should be on her toes rather than placing her feet flat on the ground. Korra shuffled on her toes for a bit and then punched the air, sending two disks flying swiftly into the net.

"Wow, nice adjustment! You're a natural at this." Bolin praised, widening his green eyes.

Mako hmphed and nodded, "Not bad."

Korra's shoulders drooped and she pointed at Mako, turning to his younger brother, "What's it take to impress this guy?"

The firebender furrowed his eyebrows, "What? I said not bad." He then shook his head, pushing off of the side of the stairs, "You know what, it's getting late. I think I'm gonna turn in. You kids have fun." He walked past Korra and sarcastically said, "Nice to meet you, "Avatar Korra.""

Korra had an amused expression and replied in an equally dry tone, "Yeah, been a real pleasure."

"See you upstairs, bro." Mako called before looking at me over his shoulder, "Coming, Zhu?"

"Yep." I got up and dusted the back of my pants. Leaping off the stairs, I followed him, "Goodnight, Avatar Korra." I bowed to her, "Make sure to return to Air Temple Island on time. Tenzin would be worried. See ya, Bo. Don't stay up too late."

Outside the gym, Mako was waiting for me.

"What's with the bowing?" He asked as we started walking towards the attic stairs.

I shrugged, "She's the Avatar. _The_ Avatar. Reincarnation of Avatar Aang. I grew up listening to his stories as Mom spoke of him occasionally."

We stopped at the bottom of the stairs when I asked, "What're you doing about dinner?"

"Skipping."

I frowned at him, for the nth time, "Mako, that's not healthy. You need to eat well if you need to function properly during matches."

"It's just one day. What harm can not eating dinner for one day do?" He carelessly said.

I narrowed my eyes and in one fluid movement, I flipped him against the ladder-like stairs and pinned his arm behind his back.

"You were saying?" I smirked as Mako struggled in my grasp.

"You took me off guard. And I'm tired from the match." He stopped trying to fight back, "Let go of me, Zhu!"

I relaxed my grip and he wrenched himself away. Mako furrowed his brows, massaging his wrist.

"Have dinner. And then go to bed." I turned, my back facing him. "Rest well."

"Zhu!" He called and I looked at him over my shoulder, "Good night. And go straight home, got it?"

I waved at him, walking away, "Yes, dad."

* * *

"You're late."

I let out a surprised scream, hugging the plastic bag to my chest. Mom was sitting on the couch, arms folded, wearing a glare. I wasn't expecting her to be awake by the time I reached home.

"It's only…" I glanced at the wall clock, "…11:30…Oops?"

"You're in charge of lunch and dinner tomorrow." She flatly said, shuffling through the documents that she held.

I cursed under my breath and removed my shoes, switching to the indoor ones. Sighing and rotating my shoulder, I sat next to mom. Making sure that she wasn't in a really bad mood, I slowly laid my head on her lap, the bag I was carrying was placed securely on my chest.

"How was your day, Chief?"

"Same old. Some morons from the Triads started a fight with those from Agni Kai. Got them arrested. Had a couple of meetings. Mostly drivel." She sighed, pushing back her grey hair. "I heard the Avatar is staying."

I hummed in agreement, "She's making friends too. Met Bo and his brother at the arena."

The corner of her mouth twitched, "As if dealing with the Anti-Benders wasn't enough, now we have to protect the Avatar too."

"Isn't the White Lotus sufficient?"

Mom carefully placed the loose sheets of paper on the coffee table, "There can never be sufficient protection for the Avatar. There is always someone stronger out there on the wrong side of law. What did you bring in there?" She gestured to the bag I was holding.

"Pie!" I said, gleefully.

"It's almost midnight."

"You can't say no to orange pie, Chief!" I whined.

"Tomorrow, Zhu."

"Yes, Chief." I squeaked, "You have more work?"

She nodded, absentmindedly running her fingers over the scars on her jaw, "There are applicants for the detective position. I'm going over their forms."

"Oh."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"If you fall asleep on me, I will not hesitate to push you off."

"So cruel, boss."

* * *

Hasook didn't show up for the match the next day. Bolin looked downtrodden, pouting at the floor. I sat next to him, leaning against his arm. Mako was leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

Korra walked in with high spirits which disappeared the moment she saw the brothers' faces, "I didn't miss your match, did I? You guys look like you lost already."

"We might as well have." Bolin whined, lifting his eyes to look at the girl.

Mako huffed angrily, "Hasook's a no-good no-show!"

The referee peeked into the room, "You have two minutes to come out ready to play or you're disqualified." He announced and closed the door

"Well, there goes our shot at the tournament..." Mako snapped, "and the winnings."

The Avatar pointed at the other team in the back of the room, who were busy prepping, "Can't you ask one of those guys to fill in?"

Bolin looked away, "Nah, the rules say you can only compete on one team."

"Well, then..." Korra thought for a moment before pointing at herself, "how about me? I'm a top-notch Waterbender, if I do say so myself."

"But, you're the Avatar." The green-eyed boy turned to his brother, "Isn't that cheating?"

The girl smiled widely, "It isn't cheating if I only do Waterbending."

"No way." Mako refused, looking at me and Bolin, "I'd rather forfeit than look like a fool out there."

"Mako!" I protested, "That's not nice."

Korra glanced angrily at him, "Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Hey," I calmly called to him, "Something is better than nothing."

The referee peeked in again, "Times up. You in or out?"

The Avatar answered for everyone, "We're in."

"We are?"

"Yes!" Bolin punched his fists in the air.

He and Korra hurried to the lockers.

"Hey, I didn't agree to this." Mako pointed out as I stood up, placing myself next to him.

The dark-skinned girl turned, grinning as she pulled out a uniform from the locker, "You can thank me later."

He turned his ember eyes to me and pointed at Korra with his thumb, "This girl is crazy."

I laughed and grabbed his forearm, "Have faith in her. You guys will win today too."

Sighing, he pushed my elbow away and as I pulled back, he grabbed my hand, "We _can't_ afford to lose. Not now. Not after-"

I gripped his hand a little tighter, "Focus, Captain. You got this. Who knows? Maybe Avatar Korra will end up surprising you and help you win the match. "

* * *

"Don't fall."

Mako turned to me, as he sat on the window sill. He smiled at me, tugging his red scarf that was wrapped around his neck, "You were right."

"I'm right about a lot of things," I bragged, sitting opposite to him, "Be a little specific."

He pulled his leg back, giving me space to sit, "About the match. About…Korra. I almost lost hope in the second round."

"So did my fingernails," I wiggled my fingers, " You need to up your game, especially now that Korra's a member."

"Yeah," He turned his sight towards the sea and I followed his gaze to see Air Temple Island.

"She really is something, huh?" I mused.

"A headache, maybe." Mako snorted, "She drives me nuts."

I chuckled, "Maybe you drive her crazy too. Spirits know that you drove me crazy when we first met." Ignoring his 'Take that back!' I continued, "Maybe she's looking at the arena right now. Who knows?"

Mako fell quiet and we sat in silence, enjoying the breeze.

* * *

 **I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Wonder why...**

 **There will a total of four books, one for each season. This one will not focus on the development of a romantic relationship between Mako and Zhu, but more of the relationships that Zhu has with the characters of the series.**

 **Please don't be a silent reader. I'd really love some feedback about this fic.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

Sixth day of my leave and I was going mad. I thought I could rest up, rejuvenate my spirit and come back to work, good as new. But no! Staying at home most of the time made me want to rip my untameable hair out. Mom came home at preposterous hours, stormed around the house muttering curses, and occasionally flung things.

At 11 AM, I decided to get some groceries, so that I wouldn't have to face my demon of a mother when she woke up from her midday 'nap'. I pulled my boots on and wore black jacket with the Fire Nation symbol on it. Quickly slipping out of the house, I made my way to the nearest grocery store which was right across Central City Station.

Imagine my surprise when I saw Bolin wearing a fake moustache, and Pabu, his Fire Ferret, dressed in fancy clothing sitting by Lord Zuko's statue, doing tricks. A small plank was balanced on top of two cups in front of them.

"Bolin, what in the world are you doing?" I exclaimed, placing my hands on my hips.

"Zhu!" He clapped and Pabu ran up my leg and nestled on my shoulder, "Spare a coin for the Fantastic Fire Ferret?" Pabu then ran back down, climbing on top of the cup. He crossed the plank, doing a flip in midair.

"Bo, what's going on?" I frowned at him.

His face fell and he sulked, "We need money for the Championship. We don't have any." He brightened up and snapped his fingers, "So I decided to earn money by making my trusty companion, Pabu, show his talents to the world."

Sighing, I rubbed my temple, "You should've asked me. I'll give you the money, Bo."

"No, no, no, no! Nope." He made an 'X' with his arms, "You're not giving us your hard earned money-"

"-You can always return it-"

"I'm gonna figure something out. Heck, Mako would've figured something out by now." Bolin put on a serious face, "Honestly, Zhu. We'll be fine. Don't worry about us."

I snorted, "I'm always worrying about you two. Trouble always finds you."

He guffawed and waved it away, "More like trouble finds _you_. Go, do your daily stuff. I'll be here when you come back. Richer than I am now. Hopefully."

"If you say so." I ruffled his hair as he grinned up at me from where he was sitting, "See ya, Bo. Keep up the good work, Pabu!"

I walked away, sending a glance at Lord Zuko's statue, trying to find resemblance between him and the old man that I knew now.

Shopping for ingredients was always boring. And annoying. There were always pickpockets and thugs hanging around, targeting clueless and usually defenseless civilians. Like it happened today.

"THIEF!" An overdressed lady screamed, pointing at a shaggy haired man who was running down the crowded street while clutching a heavy looking purse and shoving people aside.

I clicked my tongue and followed the person, skilfully dodging the crowd. He abruptly disappeared into an alley which, much to his dismay, turned out to be a dead-end. His back was pressed against the wall when I cornered him.

"Hand over the bag and you won't get-"

I was cut off by the thief who let out a battlecry and flung a dagger at my face. Ducking to a side, I leapt towards him, sending a harmless fireball hurtling. He screamed and lifted his arms to protect himself only to find that the fireball had disappeared just centimetres from his nose.

"The bag." I gestured with my hand, shooting him a threatening look.

The man, who couldn't have been older than thirty, looked helpless for a second before yelling as loudly as he could, "Help! I'm being attacked by a bender!"

"Wha-?" I was stunned for a second, "I'm a police officer!" I declared but the thief did not stop yelling.

"She's going to kill me! Help! Somebody!"

"What the flameo? Calm down, pal." I tried to reason with him but to no avail.

"Is she bothering you?"

I turned to find three shady looking men, armed with batons, staring at me while smirking. The thief shouted in confirmation, lying about how I had cornered him and demanded all the money that he had.

"You benders are always looking down on us non-benders." The thug on the left said, tapping his baton on the palm of his hand, "Now you're stealing from us? Aren't you ashamed of yourself?

The one in the centre leered at me, "What say we teach this young woman a lesson?"

The three attacked me in unison. They came running at me, weapons raised above their head. I huffed in annoyance and made an arc on the ground with one leg, which sent up flames. This made the thugs freeze.

The one on the left jumped over the fire, swinging the baton wildly. I stepped to the side, the weapon narrowly missing my head, and grabbed him by his forearm. Ramming my knee into his stomach, I knocked him out by hitting the back of his neck. As he fell down unconscious, his friends spat curses at me, promising that I'd pay for what I had done.

"This is what you get when you attack a cop," I hissed and fire-punched the nearest thug, sending him flying into a wall.

Facing the last thug remaining, I kicked the air, sending fire at him. When he jumped away, I stepped towards him, bringing back my arms to one side and swinging them in a forward motion. The fire wave that came with it forced the man to dodge, back away into the alley, along with the long forgotten thief.

I grinned maniacally at them, "I will enjoy burning you." Snapping my fingers, I sent a line of spark, narrowly missing the top of their heads, where the spark exploded.

I had no intention of hurting them. However, I was so used to playing the bad cop that I sometimes enjoyed the terrorised looks that the criminals made.

The two cowered and whimpered. The thief was wiping away the snot from his nose.

"Y-you can't do this! This i-is against the law." The thug tried to be intimidating but widened his eyes in fear as my grin grew.

"I am the law." I snapped my fingers again, once, twice, thrice. Each time missing either their limbs or their faces. The heat produced from the explosions was enough to make their clothes drenched with sweat.

"Officer Zhu!" A cop was standing at the entrance of the alley, assessing the destruction.

"This one was stealing." I pointed at the shaggy haired man, "And this one was attacking me without any reason. Along with his two pals. They're unconscious. Tie them all up, please. And head to HQ."

"Understood." The officer cuffed the knocked out men first and the bound the other two with metal wiring, "You'll be required to give your statement," He said to me.

"Of course. I'll accompany you."

* * *

"They were anti-bending activists," Chief Beifong informed me, "The three goons. The other was just a purse snatcher who happened to think on his feet."

"I see." I nodded, sitting across the table, in her office, "Did they say anything about the Equalists?"

"Not a squeak from any of them."

"Do you want me to interrogate them?" I asked, folding my hands.

She seemed to be deep in thought for a moment before speaking, "You're off duty."

"Yeah, that's not working so well, Chief." I grumbled, leaning back into the chair, "Every time I think of relaxing or getting chores done, it's either someone wrecking the city, arresting thugs or you turning the house upside down."

"Care to repeat the last part?"

"…No."

Mom sighed and nodded, "Fine. Get whatever details you can from them. Not a drop of blood, understand? You've mentally scarred the two of them as it is."

I smiled, "Yes, mother."

The one I was supposed to interrogate turned out to be the thug I had threatened with my Combustion bending. Shoving my hands into my pockets, I lifted my feet onto the table, crossing them at the ankles.

Opposite to me, the thug sat handcuffed to the table with his dark hair plastered to his forehead. Scar below the eye, pale, dark eyes…teenager? Early twenties?

"Let's start with your name." I spoke, "And your family."

"Ain't telling you nothing." He spat back at me, glaring daggers.

Chuckling, I examined my palm and then turned it over, igniting flames at the tip of my fingers, "That means you're going to tell me something. Now, what is your name?" I closed my palm into a fist, extinguishing the fire.

"…Wang Lei." He muttered, apprehensive of my bending.

"Rock pile!" I laughed, "Family of earthbenders, are you? Let me guess, you're the only non-bender of the family? Must've been your…what, broth- no, father by the looks of your face, who 'looked down' upon you. Daddy dearest cried and whined because his 'son' was a weakling and couldn't throw rocks with his mind." I put my legs down and leaned forward, "So, you took the opportunity and joined with the Equalists activists to-"

"Shut up!" he roared, "What do you kn-"

"My mother is an earthbender." I narrowed my eyes at him and replied calmly, "She was really disappointed when I turned out to be a firebender like my father whom I rarely get to see. Even I have faced enough criticism for not being able to fight skilfully from a young age like my family members. However, I, unlike you, worked to prove myself. It is true that you don't have the gift of bending, but you do have a brain and a heart. Yet, instead of contributing to the society in a positive manner or attempting to prove your father wrong, you bear the grudge and take to threatening benders in the dark alleys because you are just too much of a coward to face them in broad daylight."

"I'm not telling you anything." He hissed at me, tugging the handcuffs in his rage.

I shrugged while getting up, "Suit yourself. I do, however, warn you that you'll be spewing everything that you know after I'm done interrogating you. No one stays quiet for long after I do my job." I cracked my knuckles.

Wang Lei snarled at me, "Do your worst."

I made a swiping motion, snapping my fingers in the process. A spark shot straight towards him, singeing a good inch off of his hair, "Oh, I intend to."

Fifteen minutes later, I walked out of the interrogation room with my hands in my pockets, leaving behind a petrified Wang Lei with smoke rising out of whatever hair was left on his head. There were a few burn marks on his jaw and arms but none too threatening. He was, however, psychologically scarred.

I made a beeline to the Chief's office.

An immaculately dressed detective was present in the room, facing Chief. He was almost a head taller than me, with dark hair that was combed back. When he turned to look at me, I noted that he had blue eyes.

Waterbender…

"Officer Zhu, how many times should I tell you? Knock before you enter." Chief stressed, turning her gaze to me.

"Sorry, ma'am…" I scratched the back of my head.

She sighed in response and turned to the young detective, "If you could give us a moment, Detective Liang."

"Of course." He had a pleasant, husky voice.

He turned and walked past me, shooting me a small smile as he left. I blinked rapidly as I felt my face flushing pink.

How can anyone be so…beautiful?

Coughing, I regained my composure and walked further towards Chief, who had an amused look on her face.

"Just a supporter." I informed my mother, "Although he did say that the street gangs are teaming up. There's a turf war rising between the non-benders and the gangs. He also mentioned Amon, the leader of the Equalists. They hold secret gatherings where they distribute anti-bending propaganda. There's a rumour that Amon takes away the bending abilities of those who have been captured."

"And the location of these gatherings?"

"Changes often, it seems. He just said the word 'pamphlets'"

Chief laced her fingers together, resting her chin on them, "I see. Anything else?"

"No, ma'am."

"Well, that's that. You're free to go back, Zhu."

I stood up straight and saluted. Before leaving, I hesitated a little.

"What is it?" Mom asked, quirking her brow.

"Can I…" I sheepishly said, "not be off duty anymore? It's boring."

She smirked, "Re-join the next week. I may be able to assign you to work under Detective Liang."

"What!? Chief, it's not like that!" I protested, waving my arms around, "Why would you even say something like that? He is attractive to look at, I mean, he's gorgeous but that doesn't mean that-"

"Your reaction stopped being amusing thirty seconds ago. Leave."

"….Crazy woman."

* * *

The statue of Lord Zuko came into view and I began to look halfheartedly for Bolin. The sun had almost set and the street children were busy chasing each other on the footpath.

"Mako?" I furrowed my brows, spotting the firebender who was followed by Korra. They were talking to one of the kids.

"Zhu! Thank Spirits." He turned to me and exclaimed, "Have you seen Bolin?"

I shook my head, "Not since this morning. He was making Pabu do tricks here. Why, what happened?"

"We can't find him anywhere." Korra said, worry flitting across her face.

The kid, who I recognised to be Skoochy, cleared his throat, "Might know somethin' about tha'." As we waited for him to continue, he shrugged casually, "Memory's a lil fogged up. Maybe…you could help clearin' it?"

"Oh, you're good, Skoochy. A real pro." Mako rummaged his pockets and pulled out money, handing it over to the kid.

"Shady Shin showed up." I scrunched up my nose in distaste when Skoochy mentioned the name, "Flashed him some serious cash. Bo took off with him in his hot rod."

"But why would Shin need Bo?" Mako asked, panicking.

Skoochy grinned again, gesturing for money.

I sighed, "The Triple Threats, Red Monsoon and Agni Kais, all of them are teaming up. There's a war brewing."

The kid blew a raspberry at me and stuck out his tongue, "You coppers ain't no fun."

I ruffled his hair, "Dinner's on me, shorty. Take the kids to Narook's. Tell him it's all on my tab."

"Holy moley!" He jumped, "What about tomorrow? And after that? And after-"

"Don't eat too much." I pushed him away, "I ain't that rich, got it? Eat whenever you're hungry."

Skoochy whooped and ran away, dragging his friends and siblings while yelling thanks at me. I turned to Mako and Korra who looked perturbed.

"What just happened?" Korra questioned.

"Turf war." I explained.

"And Bolin's about to get caught right in the middle of it." Mako shifted his eyes to the Avatar.

* * *

 **Hello!**

 **I've been caught up in a lot of stuff at home. So, unfortunately, I'll be going on a hiatus. I'm not going to abandon this story, but I'll be putting off updating for a while. That goes to my other two fics too.**

 **Hopefully, this chapter provides you an idea of Zhu's character as a cop. She's quite ruthless when it comes to criminals (Also, the dialogue "I am the law" was so cringeworthy that I questioned my mental status for a while). You can almost call her bipolar. I'm not giving much away when I say that she enjoys torture and interrogation (Does that sentence make sense at all?).Her bending can be compared to Roy Mustang's (Full Metal Alchemist) though it isn't powerful enough to blow up buildings and stuff.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

"How'd you know about the gangs?" Mako asked me as we sat on top of Naga who was waiting for the trams to pass.

I gripped the back of his coat, holding on to my dear life, "I was coming from HQ. Interrogated this anti-bending supporter."

"Wouldn't have been a pretty sight, the interrogation."

"Is it ever a pretty sight when I'm the interrogator?"

"So, where are we headed?" Korra asked, as we watched another tram pass by.

Naga started to run fast across a bridge and my grasp on Mako's waist tightened. The firebender placed his hand over my wrist, clasping it and assured me that I wouldn't fall.

"The Triple Threat Triads' headquarters." He informed Korra, "Hopefully Bolin's there and nothing's gone down yet."

"Triple Threat Triads?" She repeated, "I beat up some of those yahoos when I got into town. Why would Bolin get tangled up with-"

Naga barked loudly and surged forward, making me let out a scream. Mako grabbed both my wrists as I buried my face into his back.

"Whoa, Naga!" Korra tried to calm the animal down.

Instead, Naga ran faster and faster, following what seemed to be a small animal. I muttered curses and swear words.

"Some fearless cop you are." Mako commented, "Scared of riding fast _and_ heights."

I slapped his wrist in response, refusing to look up. Korra pulled at Naga's reins to keep her under control when Mako suddenly shouted.

"That's Pabu!"

Naga lunged towards the fire ferret, who had climbed up a lamppost when the Avatar interfered, "No, Naga! Pabu's a friend, not a snack."

Pabu touched his nose with Naga and then ran up to Mako, resting on his shoulders. He waved his tail at me, petting my hair.

"We gotta hurry." Mako urged

We soon got off outside of what seemed to be a deserted building. Mako and Korra approached the front porch while I looked around for any sign of life.

Mako stepped warily across the porch, "Something's not right. There are usually thugs posted out front. We better be cautious." He sneaked up to the door and pressed his back to it.

Korra and I nonchalantly walked towards him as he motioned to us.

"I can't hear anyone." I whispered as Mako peeked in, through the door.

Without saying another word, Korra nodded at me and violently kicked the door down. Mako peered from the side, with Pabu swishing his tail back and forth. The rooms were in shambles. Broken tables lay here and there. Carpets and curtains were ripped up.

"Bo's not here. Signs of bending show that there was a very recent fight." I closed my eyes focusing, "Motor! I smell machine smoke. _Out in the back, hurry_!" I yelled as the three of us rushed towards the backdoor.

Sure enough, the revving of motorbikes was heard. Korra slammed the backdoor open and we ran outside just in time to see Bolin and Shin tied up in the back of a truck which was driving away.

Growling, I pushed my arms forward, snapping my fingers. Fast lightening followed the truck and exploded. The vehicle swerved to the right before increasing its speed.

"Bolin!" Mako called out, as we started to run after them.

The last remaining motorcyclists throw two canisters at us which released a green smoke screen. I punched throw the smoke, sending a large wave of fire after the motorbikes. They swerved and dodged my attack.

Coughing away the gas, Korra called for Naga and climbed on top of her. I followed her, offering my hand to Mako. He took it and I pulled him up. Naga rode faster, following the escaping vehicles.

Mako and I tossed fireballs at the motorbikes but they dodged every one of them. Korra sat straight in the saddle and spun her bent arms in an Earthbending move, causing the ground beneath one of the motorcycles to pop up and ramp the vehicle high in to the air. The Equalist driver maintained control and landed safely before accelerating ahead.

We entered a wide open square where the rear most motorcyclists slow down and turn to face us. One of them sent a bola spinning towards Naga. Bracing for the impact, I jumped off the moment Naga tumbled and landed on my feet.

Without wasting another second, I started shooting fire at the Equalists. In a distance, I could see Mako toppled over, near Korra. Two Equalists flipped through the air to attack them.

The one that I was against was quick to attack me. He punched and jabbed, trying to hit my chi points. I barely blocked and evaded him, kicking up arcs of fire. I went for his face, lighting up my fist. He expertly dodged and jabbed the chi points on my left arm. Rage coursed through me and I snapped my right fingers at him, the explosion throwing him back. I ran towards him, stomping my foot and raising it into an arc, simultaneously punching with my right fist.

I clicked my tongue in annoyance as the Equalist managed to sidestep the attack. My left arm was useless, hanging limply at my side.

The other two chi-blockers, I noticed, had managed to stop both my friends and were now facing me. I let out a yell, mustering up all my energy and punched my fist towards them and held it there. A giant fireball, ten feet in height, flew towards them. I stepped back, to cover Mako and Korra and swore heavily as the Equalists evaded the fire.

"How the f-"

The three of them stepped towards us, twirling bolas in their hands. Out of the blue, Naga darted forward, growling loudly, distracting the Equalists. I took the opportunity to shoot sparks at them, which exploded and threw back two of them.

The third, clearly outnumbered, jumped back and threw a canister of gas at me and managed to escape along with his buddies. I tried to hold my breath but the smog made my eyes water and I ended up almost choking. Covering my nose, I rushed out of the cloud of smoke only to find Amon's lackeys gone.

Naga helped Korra get up as I rushed towards Mako. Helping him get up, I checked if he was injured.

"Are you okay?" I asked frantically, grabbing his chin and turning his face sideways.

He swatted my hands away and insisted that he was okay. "What about you?"

"Non-benders can do diddly-squat to me." I confidently said and turned to Korra, "What about you? Any serious injury?"

Korra punched in the air with no results. She tried again and when nothing happened, started panicking, "I can't bend!" She tried with a little more force this time, "I can't bend!"

"Calm down, it'll wear off. Those guys were chi blockers." Mako rubbed his forearm, "They're Amon's henchmen."

Korra turned towards us, "Amon? That anti-bending guy with the mask?"

"Leader of the Equalists, yes." I nodded.

"What do they want with the Triple Threats?" The Avatar frowned.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good." Mako closed his eyes and clutched his forehead with one hand, "Ugh, I can't believe Bolin got himself into this mess!"

Korra put her hand on his shoulder, "Mako, we are going to save your brother. I promise you that."

"I'm not going home until I find Bo." I announced, determined, "That guy I questioned, Wang Lei, he said that the captured benders get their bending taken away. We need to find Bolin at the earliest."

The three of us spent the entire night roaming around the streets of Republic City, looking for Bolin. Mako had to wake me multiple times as I had kept falling asleep, leaning against Korra's back.

"Zhu, wake up!" The firebender nudged me as my head drooped down to Korra's shoulder.

I jolted in my seat, "I'm up, mom. Don't earthbend my bed."

Korra snickered, "Your mom is an earthbender?"

"Yeah. A darn ferocious bender at that." I rubbed my eyes, "Sorry I keep falling asleep. I was exhausted after I arrested four thugs who put up a very long fight. Then I had to interrogate this anti-bender activist who said something about pamphlets. It was a rough day."

"I have an idea!" She suddenly declared, "Come on, Naga. To the park."

Naga ran in another direction and we were soon at Republic City park. No one was present at this time of the night. Naga and Pabu dipped their heads in a fountain, sipping water. We got off of the polar bear dog and leaned against the fountain.

"The first day I got into town I ran into an Equalist protester over there." Korra pointed at a wide footpath.

"And you think he'll know where Bolin is?" Mako questioned.

"It's our only lead right now." Korra replied, shrugging.

We sat under a tree, backs pressed against Naga. Mako sat in the middle, while Korra and I sat on either side of him. The firebender had his eyes closed and I tilted my head upwards, looking at the night sky.

Korra curiously looked at us, "So, why is Bolin running around with the Triple Threat Triad, anyway?"

"Well we-," Mako nervously began, "we used to do some work for them back in the day."

"What!?" She stumbled back, glaring accusingly at Mako, "Are you some kind of criminals?"

"Korra," I yawned, "I wouldn't be with them if they were criminals."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Mako angrily snapped at the Avatar, "I just ran numbers for them and stuff. We were orphans out on the street. I did what I had to do to survive and protect my little brother."

The dark skinned girl softened her eyes, "I'm sorry. It must have been really hard. That was when you met Zhu?"

I nodded, leaning against Mako, "I had some leads on this underground smuggling case I was working on last year. Bolin had tried so hard to prove that they hadn't done anything wrong."

Nodding at me, she hesitated before shifting her eyes at Mako, "Can I ask what happened to your parents?"

Mako sighed, "They were mugged. By a Firebender. He cut them down right in front of me. I was eight." He pulled his scarf up to cover his mouth, "Bolin's the only family I have left. And if anything happened to him..."

" _Nothing_ will happen to him." I looped my arm with his, "We'll find him. We have to."

* * *

I woke with the sun, again.

Growling in annoyance, I stretched my arms and got up from where I was curled on the grass. Turning to look at my friends, I found them leaning against one another in deep sleep. Chuckling, I decided to go for a walk.

Five minutes into an absentminded stroll and I collided with someone. Stumbling, I let out an apology, veiling my embarrassment.

"Officer Zhu, was it?"

Whirling at the familiar warm voice, I gaped as Detective Liang smiled at me. His tousled hair and attractive appearance made my mind go fuzzy. It didn't help that he was wearing tank top which gave me an exact idea of just how fit and lean he was.

"I-I…you're…" I fumbled with words as my brain begged me to stop talking.

"Liang, yes. We met yesterday in passing. Are you alright?" He asked with genuine worry.

Wordlessly nodding, I avoided his strong gaze.

"Out for a morning walk?"

"Y-yeah…you could say that." I fidgeted, shifting my weight from one leg to another.

"In yesterday's clothes?" Liang humorously said, his blue eyes twinkling.

I narrowed my eyes, "For all you know, these could be the only pair of clothes that I own."

He threw his head back and laughed, "You're not a very good liar, aren't you?"

My cheeks burned red on being caught. Heat exploded across my face as I stuttered an excuse, "We-well…you see…I didn't mean to-"

Waving his hand, he started, "It's understandable. You don't know me so it's natural that you wouldn't want to tell me what you were doing in the park, at this time of the morning, with _grass_ in your hair."

My hands flew to my hair and sure enough, blades of grass were entangled.

"This is so embarrassing." I voiced my thoughts, pulling out the green, " _So embarrassing_. I'm gonna go back home and never step outside again."

"Here." Detective Liang raised his hand and removed the grass. He then tilted his head to make sure every last one of them was gone, "Don't be so worried. We've all had our share of mishaps."

"None like this, though." I pushed back the strands of hair that had escaped from my ponytail.

"You'd be surprised."

 _This is your chance! Ask him for dinner! Ask him ask him ask him a-_

"How about we exchange our moments of humiliation over dinner?"

I smiled at him, all the stammering and nervousness forgotten, "Funny, I was going to ask you the same."

"Tomorrow evening, then?"

Crossing my arms, I raised my brows at him in an amused manner, "You're pretty confident that I'll say yes."

He chuckled in response, "Oh, I'm actually terrified that you'll say no."

"Zhu! Run!" I turned towards the feminine voice to find Korra and Mako running, with a guard (and Naga) hot on their heels.

As they ran past me, Mako grabbed me by the arm, dragging me along with him.

"6'o clock! Central Station!" I yelled at Liang, "Don't be late."

"Wouldn't dream of it." He called back, waving.

Mako dragged me till we had exited the park and collapsed on a bench in a tram stand. He dropped the fliers that he had been holding on to the floor, staring hard at them. I peeked at the one that Korra was holding.

"'The…Revelation'?" I frowned, "Amon's gonna be there too? Maybe this is one of those gatherings where he takes away the prisoners' bending. Though I'm not so sure how true that is."

"Why didn't the Equalists put a location on these?" Korra asked, exasperated.

"Probably 'cause they don't want just anyone walking in on their big revelation, whatever that is." Mako mused, rubbing his chin, bending over to get a closer look at the fliers.

I kneeled down next to the papers, flipping them over, "There's a map on the back. See, they're all different prints."

"So..like a puzzle?" Korra smiled.

"Zhu, hold this." Mako handed me two of the pamphlets, "Let's match them against this map."

We compared the fliers against the map that was hung up on the wall. The red dot, where I assumed the meeting would take place, coincided with a spot near the seaside.

"Bingo!" The firebender exclaimed, "That must be where it's going down."

* * *

 **What is this?**

 **Have I actually updated a story?**

 **This is a miracle!**

 **Just kidding!**

 **I apologize deeply for not updating. It's been a long, long time. I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again.**

 **My college sucks. The courses I have suck. My grades suck. And so does my life. So much shit has happened in the past few months that I don't even know where to start. I mean, I passed my first semester with good enough grades but things have just become much more difficult.**

 **That being said, I cannot promise when I'll be updating next but I appreciate that you've stuck with me and my writing for so far.**

 **Thank you for reading! Let me know how this chapter was.**

 **Stay healthy, happy and safe, y'all!**


	7. Chapter 7

We were back at Mako and Bolin's place, where the former began to search for scarves and hats for our 'disguises'. I sat cross-legged on the couch as Korra looked awkwardly out of place. A large thump was heard and a string of curses followed.

"You need help?" I called.

"No." Mako's muffled voice said firmly.

"Were you standing on the wonky table that I specifically told you and Bo not to stand on?"

"…Maybe."

"Serves you right, then." I muttered under my breath.

"So…" Korra hesitated, "who was the guy you were talking to?"

"Ah..." I pondered about it for a moment, "I met him at HQ. He's a detective."

"Oh."

Mako came back, holding a coat, a dark hoodie and a hat, all the while wiggling his foot. He tossed the hoodie to me.

"See if it fits. And, you-" He handed Korra the coat and the hat, "put this on. We'll leave at nightfall."

"Why do I need a coat?" Korra examined the cloth in her hand.

I removed my jacket and pulled the hoodie over my head, "Your Water Tribe garb would give you away." Tugging the hem of the top, I stood up, "Hey, you got something to eat?"

"Dumplings." Mako gestured at a paper bag that was lying on the table, "Bought them for Bo as an apology yesterday."

I shrugged, "Works for me. You guys want any?"

Mako and Korra exchanged looks before agreeing. My face fell.

"Damn, I was hoping you guys would say no."

* * *

We hid behind a factory, spying on the people who passed by this buff looking guy stationed at the entrance.

Mako nodded at us, "This is the place."

He and Korra both put on hats to complete their disguises and start towards the building. Korra had Mako's red scarf wrapped around her neck.

I walked at a distance from the two and as we got closer to the entrance, Korra grabbed Mako's arm and leaned into him.

The big-boned guard scrutinized us, "This is a private event. No one gets in without an invitation."

Korra and Mako exchanged looks, "Uh, invitation?"

The guard waited with his arms crossed in front of him.

Mako ruffled through his pocket and pulled out a flier, "You mean this?"

The guard examined it and then turned back to us with a lightened expression.

"The revelation is upon us, my brother and sister. Is that girl with you?" He motioned towards me and Korra nodded.

Without wasting much time, he let us pass through the door. It was mostly dark, and rusty industrial equipment took up much of the space. We looked over the railing to see an enormous crowd gathered near the stage.

"I knew a lot of people hated benders," Mako said, "but I've never seen so many in one place. Keep your eyes out for Bolin."

We make our way down and weave through the gathering as the spotlight started to shine on the stage. I hold onto the sleeves of Korra's and Mako's coat to make sure we stay together.

"Please welcome," A loud voice boomed across the hall, "your hero, your saviour, Amon!"

A section of the floor slid open, and from the glaring light below, a platform elevator rose. Equalist chi-blockers were lined up behind Amon who stood in the centre. The crowd cheered wildly.

Amon walked towards the microphone and started to speak about how he and his family lived on a farm and weren't very well off. They were a family of non-benders which made them an easy target for the firebenders. The one time his father stood up against the firebender, he ended up murdering Amon's family and then 'took' his face.

"As you know, the Avatar has recently arrived in Republic City."

The entire crowd booed loudly and Korra tugged Mako's scarf over her face, hurt from all the hostility. Mako leaned towards her, looking around warily.

Amon continued to speak, showcasing bending in a negative light. He talked about how wrong the Avatar is about bending bringing balance to the world. The more he spoke, the more angry Korra got.

"I know you've been wondering, _'what is the revelation?_ ' You are about to get your answer."

My grip around Mako's sleeve tightened and I stepped closer to my friends.

"Since the beginning of time, the spirits have acted as guardians of our world and they have spoken to me. They say the Avatar has failed humanity." Amon placed his hand to his heart, "That is why the spirits have chosen _me_ to usher in a new era of balance. They have granted me a power that will make equality a reality. The power to take a person's bending away, _permanently_."

Korra whirled towards us in shock, "That's impossible. There's no way."

"This guy is insane." Mako looked taken aback.

"I did tell you two." I mumbled to them, "Besides, it's not possible for anyone else but the Avatar to have this power."

Korra sent me a confused look when Amon motioned to the back of the stage.

"Now, for a demonstration." One of his henchmen brought out a line of men with their hands tied behind their backs. "Please welcome Lightning Bolt Zolt, leader of the Triple Threat Triad, and one of the most notorious criminals in Republic City."

"Isn't he the one who taught you how to bend lightning?" I whispered to Mako who confirmed by nodding.

The crowd booed and Zolt angrily spat back, "Ah, boo yourself!"

The other captives were being herded by the chi-blockers along the back of the stage and were forced to their knees. Among them was Shady Shin and last in the line-up was Bolin, who looked around with obvious fear.

"There's Bolin." Korra pointed out and moved forward but Mako grabbed her by her shoulder and pulled her back.

"Wait! We can't fight them all. We need to be smart about this."

"Then come up with a game plan, _team captain_." She snapped at him.

Amon announced that Zolt would be given a fair chance to fight him and keep his bending if he wins. Zolt was then shoved to the opposite side of the stage but he turns to the leader of the Equalists with a smug grin on his face.

"You're gonna regret doing that, pal."

Zolt had first started by throwing fireballs at Amon but when his opponent dodged them expertly, he started to wildly shoot lightning. Zig-zagging his way, Amon managed to turn Zolt around and jabbed a finger in the back of his neck, throwing him down on his knees. All this while, lightning was shooting out of Zolt's fingers. Amon raised his other hand, and brought it down smoothly on Zolt's head with his thumb pressed against Zolt's forehead.

The bright, harsh lightning shrunk to fizzle harmlessly in the air, and then turned into plain Firebending, which in turn extinguished completely. Amon let go of Zolt, and the gangster flopped down to the floor of the stage. Amon waited patiently while his opponent pushed himself back up.

The bender then tried to punch a fireball at Amon, but no flame appeared and he lost his balance, toppling weakly forward to slam back to the stage floor. He managed to ask what Amon had done to him, frightened.

"Your Firebending is gone. Forever." As soon as Amon said this, everyone around us gasped. "The era of bending is over. A new era of equality has begun."

"We need to do something quick." I hurriedly whispered as Mako began to assess our surroundings.

One of the chi-blockers on the stages pulled Shady Shin to his feet, untied him, and kicked him forward.

The Avatar turned to Mako, "Any ideas yet?"

"I think so. See those machines?" He motioned over to a series of pipes set against the wall, which surrounded a pair of large canisters, "They're powered by water and steam. If you can create some cover, Zhu and I can grab Bolin without anyone seeing, then we duck outta here."

I nodded, "Sounds good."

"Works for me." Korra agreed and as Mako and I turned to leave, she held Mako's shoulder, "Mako, Zhu, good luck." She held up a hand to us.

Mako clasped her hand, "You too." And I patted the Avatar's forearm, nodding at her.

The two of us force our way to the front of the crowd. On stage, Amon had Shady Shin in the same grasp that he used to take away Zolt's bending. Shin was gasping and shaking. The last of the Triad captives looked at Bolin with evident fear and then got hauled to his feet by a chi-blocker.

"Come on..." Mako urged under his breath.

After taking away the thug's bending, it was Bolin's turn. A chi-blocker untied the terrified boy and shoved him to his feet. Bolin stumbled out into the centre of the stage, and winded up facing Amon. As the crowd cheered, Amon turned to face Bolin.

"Uhh, hello, Amon, sir." The earthbender tapped his fingers nervously, "I think there's been a big misunderstanding."

"It's taking too long," I hissed and before Mako could stop me, I had crossed my forearms and snapped my fingers upwards. Sparks shot out straight towards the spotlights and they exploded.

At the same time, another explosion from our left took place and fog engulfed the stage. The crowd screamed and ran towards the exit.

"Go!" I yelled at Mako, who promptly jumped up to the stage and pulled me along.

We scrambled through the fog, looking for Bolin when we saw a chi-blocker grabbing him from the back. Mako grabbed the masked Equalist by the arm and flipped him off the stage.

Mako and I turned to the curly-haired boy, "Bolin! You alright?"

"Yes!" Bo clapped his hands together, "Mako! Zhu! I love you!" He held his arms out for a hug, but Mako simply hooked his brother in one arm and I latched onto his other arm, dragging him back into the fog.

We blindly maneuvered through the thick smoke. I jolted away whoever came in our way as Mako swung open a door which led to a balcony. We immediately made for a ladder on the far side of the balcony. Mako readied to lower himself when Bolin grabbed him, "No, Zhu's a girl. Let her go first."

Without giving it much thought, I slid down the ladder with the brothers following me. As I get step away, Mako looked up to see one of Amon's subordinate. He took out a pair of metal truncheons and spun them in his hands so that they pointed down at the ladder. Before he was able to send electricity through the metal, I swung my arms and punched in his direction, sending waves of fire. The subordinate jumps back, narrowly avoiding the flames.

Mako and Bolin leapt off and took their Probending stances as the subordinate landed in front of us.

Mako punched a burst of fire, but the henchman dodged, rushing in at the Firebender. He swung his truncheons at Mako, who attempted to sidestep but ended up getting hit in the chest. Bolin shot over a heavy disk of earth, but the masked man jumped over it.

I tried to take over and snapped my fingers at the man, sending jolts again and again, fury taking me over. Bolin backed me up by shooting another disk of earth but it was met with the same result. The man ignored all of my attacks and as Bolin panicked and raised a wall of earth, the subordinate started to deliver a flurry of baton strikes. He electrocuted Bolin, who let out a scream of pain, and knocked him out.

Mako collapsed the same way. I stood in front of the unconscious lot, my fists blazing.

The henchman snarled at me, "You benders need to understand there's no place for you in the world anymore."

I clicked my tongue in response, and just as I was going to attack him, the ground beneath him erupted into a slanted slab of earth and flung him hard against the alley wall. He crashed heavily to the ground.

I turned to look at Korra who was scowling at the Equalist, "I wouldn't count us out just yet." She whistled, "Naga!"

Naga came running down a set of stairs at the far end of the alley. Korra helped Mako to his feet, and as Equalist chi-blockers came streaming out of the door that we had escaped from earlier, the two Benders climbed on top of Naga.

"How are four people going to fit on Naga?" I yelled as I sat behind Mako again.

"Don't worry about that!" Korra replied as Bolin regained consciousness.

He screamed in panic as Naga ran straight over him and grabbed his shirt in her jaws. As the polar-dog ran, Bolin bounced up and down uncomfortably.

"Ah. Stop. I want. To be. On. Your back." He yelped painfully.

Mako leaned over Korra, "Just hang on for a few moments, Bo."

I peeped over my shoulder to see a silhouette standing on the balcony. With a slight movement of his head, the Equalists who were following us stopped and retreated.

"Take the shorter route, Korra." I turned back, clasping onto the back of Mako's vest, "They're not going to follow us anymore."

The Avatar nodded grimly and was oddly quiet the entire ride back to the arena. Her silence made me uneasy.

* * *

Naga stopped right in front of the arena, dropping Bolin on to the ground. Mako jumped off first, and helped me down. Nodding a thanks, I immediately rushed to the youngest brother.

The earthbender was whining and rubbing the back of his neck. I swatted him sharply on his head and ignoring his cry of pain, twisted his ear.

"ZHU OWOWOWOW-"

"When I said 'Keep up the good work', I didn't mean get captured by the Equalists and almost get your bending taken away. Do you know how worried we were?-"

"-IT STILL HURTS-"

"-You could've died! Mako could've died! _The Avatar could've died!_ You little twerp. Do you know how mad I am at you? I am furious." I let go and he fell back, pouting while clutching his now red ear.

"Zhu, I'm sorry."

The expression he gave was so pitiful that all my anger and worry vanished. I looked at him as he got up and dusted himself.

"Oh, Bolin." I wrapped my arms around the boy, "I'm glad you're okay. You don't know how scared Mako was." Bolin stilled for a second and hugged me back.

"Mako was what?" The said firebender walked up to us after talking privately with Korra while the Avatar stood close to Naga.

I let go of Bolin, who grinned at his elder brother and opened his arms wide, "My big brother was worried for m- OW STOP HITTING – MAKO – WAIT PLEASE."

Mako, who slapped the back of Bolin's head, and then shoulders, and then the stomach, finally stopped, "You're not leaving my sight for the next two weeks, do you understand?"

The younger pouted, "But I just-"

" _Do you understand?_ "

"Yes."

Mako heaved out a sigh, "I don't know what I would've done if something had happened to you."

This made Bolin's eyes water. With a huge wail, he threw himself on Mako, "I was so scared, Mako! If it weren't for you and Korra, I could've died."

"Hey! I was there too!"

"And Zhu too. I'm so sorry." He dragged out the 'sorry' in a high pitch, wheezing and wailing.

As Mako tried to console his brother, I walked up to the Avatar.

"Avatar Korra, are you alright?"

The girl blinked rapidly, and shook her head, "I'm not. But I will be. Just a little shaken up because of today's events, I guess."

"I see." I nodded at her, "I appreciate that you helped save Bolin. Without you, it wouldn't have gone as well as it did."

She narrowed her eyes at me, "Bolin's my friend too, you know."

I chuckled at her defensiveness, "You misunderstand, Avatar. I meant to say that not many would go to the lengths you did for someone they've known for a few weeks."

Blinking once in realization, she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, embarrassed, "Oh, right. Well, you're welcome. I think."

"Councilman Tenzin shall be worried." I stated, changing the topic, "Shall I escort you to Air Temple Island?"

The downcast look on her face returned and she mumbled a 'no'. Shaking her head once again, she grinned brightly at me, "You need to stop being so formal with me!"

I stared blankly at her, "Pardon?"

Slapping my back in goodwill, the force throwing me off my balance a little, she replied, "We're friends, aren't we? No need to be so formal."

I lifted my head a little, "Oh. Yes, of course. It's just – I'm not used to making friends this easily." I panicked a little at what I had just said, "Not that I don't consider you my friend," I raised my arms in defence, "I do, I mean. I'm sorry if I offended you, Avatar Korra – Korra - no wait I-"

Korra laughed out loudly at this, clutching her stomach. Bolin perked up at this and skipped towards us.

"What, what? What did we miss?"

My face heated up in embarrassment, "I don't know…"

Bolin crossed his arms and grinned, "It takes Zhu a little time to warm up to anyone. You guys will be best friends in no time!"

"Bo, shut up."

"It's getting late," Mako interrupted, "Korra, you should go home."

Naga whined a little and nudged Korra's cheek with her nose. The poor creature was exhausted.

"Yes, Naga. We're all very tired." The Avatar patted her partner's nose, "I _should_ be getting home now. Like Zhu said, Tenzin must be losing his mind. I'll see you guys later."

The four of us exchanged 'thank you's and goodnights after which Korra left for the port with Naga. Bolin rubbed his droopy eyes as he yawned and turned towards the arena entrance.

"We'll walk you home." Mako said, rotating his shoulder, "Come on."

I shook my head, "You guys head home and get some sleep. I'll be fine. My house is nearby anyway. Look, Bolin's almost asleep. Go, take care of him."

"I'll drop him off to bed and then walk you home." He insisted.

"Goodnight, Mako." I chuckled, "I'll see you two tomorrow."

The firebender sighed, "Get home safe."

"I'm a police officer."

"A _reckless_ police officer."

"You and Korra make a good team."

"Shut up and go home now."

"Alright, alright. Jeez."


End file.
